The present invention relates to a rotary compressor, and more particularly to a rotary compressor equipped with sealing means in a vane for preventing leakage and influx of gas through a gap between a cylinder and the vane.
In a conventional rotary compressor for refrigeration, as shown in FIG. 1, the inside space of a cylinder 1 is divided into an inlet space and a compression space by a roller 3 and a vane 6. Refrigerant gas in the compression space is compressed by the roller 3 and the vane 6 operating as a movement of an eccentric shaft 2, while new refrigerant gas continually gets into the inlet space through an inlet port 5. The compressed gas in the compression space is discharged to the outside space of the cylinder 1 through an outlet port 4, whereby pressure between the cylinder and a case (not illustrated) becomes high. The case isolates the outside space of the cylinder 1 from the atmosphere. The vane 6 moves up and down in a slot 8 and is pushed onto the roller 3 by the outside pressure of the cylinder 1 and by the spring 7 connected to the upper side of the vane 6. The outside pressure of the cylinder is higher than the inside pressure of the cylinder except when the gas is discharged into the outside of the cylinder.
In the above-mentioned rotary compressor, as shown in the FIG. 2, the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the cylinder is liable to cause leakage of the inside gas into the outside of the cylinder and influx of the outside gas into the inside of the cylinder through a gap between the vane and the cylinder, worsening the efficiency of the rotary compressor.